Good Morning,

I'm not an experienced birder, and found my first Townsend's Solitaire in
a location that does not match the description in the National Geographic
field guide:

About 100 yards south of the parking lot at Double Bluff State Park on
Whidbey Island I saw two Townsend's Solitaires hawking amongst the drift
wood on the beach. This was Saturday, April 8 at approximately 2pm.
According to the above reference these are birds of high mountain slopes.
I had ample time to look at them in detail, and feel that I found sufficient
major markings (gray breast and shoulders, white outer tail feathers, slightly
forked tail, orange at base of primaries visible in flight) to justify the
identification. Any comments?

There were several hundred Bonaparte's Gulls, a couple of Bald Eagles, about
50 Least or Western Sandpipers, a few Surf Scoters and Harlequin Ducks.

Also, at Langely (besides the two Gray Whales) I'm pretty sure that I saw
a Franklin's Gull feeding at the water edge.

Thanks!! What a beautiful weekend...

--
Michael Patrick
University of Washington Medical Center
Department of Radiation Oncology, RC-08
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA. 98195
mike at radonc.washington.edu
(206) 548-4536